Didnt get the most exciting photos of Eynhallow, but the story surrounding the island is such an interesting one that i couldn't not post about it. This photo was taken from the village of Evie on the mainland. The island you can just see on the right is Rousay. Eynhallow is uninhabited (up until 1841 it had a population of 26) so you cant get to it unless you have a boat. All that remains on the island is an old church. The tides can be very strong so it is very difficult to get access to the island, even with a boat! Theres an interesting story on the Orkneyjar website about a visit to Eynhallow in 1990. Most of the folk stories about Eynhallow consist of a young, beautiful woman being stolen by the Finmen and being forced to marry one. They then live on a small island that can only be seen by human eyes on misty days, or certain days of the year. The island they lived was known as Hildaland, or Hether Blether. It was stolen by the Finfolk, by humans which is why it can be seen today. Finfolk cant enter a place if it has a cross, or bible on the door, and i wonder if this is why there is a church on Eynhallow - so that the Finfolk cant steal it back? One theory on the stories about women being stolen by Finfolk, is that the women actually died, and their families were told that they had been taken by the Finfolk, to make it easier to deal with.
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